Tuesday, May 31, 2016

The BFG by Roald Dahl

The BFG
When you are young and little, the idea of a giant is an awesome conception, something even beyond words. That's where a good author makes a difference. One little girl, several extraordinary giants, and the magic of words all have roles in Roald Dahl's The BFG.

Sophie is a little girl who has been kidnapped by a giant and taken far away into a land of giants. Her kidnapper is a good giant. He is the BFG, the Big Friendly Giant.  He goes among neighborhoods at night, unseen, blowing dreams into the bedrooms of sleeping children. Unfortunately, Sophie has spotted him at work and he must now protect his secret, but in this land of giants there are others who would eat, and do eat, little children. Sophie, with the aid of the BFG, hatches a plan of action.

Dahl, who began writing children's books late in life, has an uncanny, unsentimental way of capturing the imaginations of young readers. He creates unique characters and situations, all in an environment that is fantasy and yet totally believable. Who wouldn't enjoy a story with a little girl among giants who fearlessly becomes a heroine? Who wouldn't care about a friendly giant who had no schoolin' and uses words like kidsnatched (kidnapped), human beans (human beings), and chiddlers (children)?

The BFG, first published in 1982, has taken its place among Roald Dahl's many other masterworks. It has even captured the imagination of that most remarkable of big screen dream weavers, Steven Spielberg. Spielberg's film version of The BFG will be released in the summer of 2016.